Article on Mosaic from the Stamford Advocate

[paul secor]

I remember two box sets from Columbia in the early '60s which between them contained all the '30s Billie Holiday master takes Columbia owned.

Yes. In the early 60's, Columbia released boxes of Billie, Duke, Fletcher Henderson, New Orleans Jazz, Chicago Jazz, New York Jazz, & possibly others I can't think of right now.

[ghost of miles]

Very interesting the mention that Scott Wenzel is working on a Jimmie Lunceford set!

Last phrase from that Michael Cuscuna interview (thanks MellowT for linking it

Scott Wenzel is working on ‘30s Ellington and Lunceford sets at the moment.

Yes, the Lunceford Decca set that had been talked about years ago and then apparently deep-sixed is back on.

[medjuck]

A few months ago Steven Lasker told me that he had turned in remasters of Fletcher Henderson sides to Mosaic. (Or maybe he said Lunceford and I heard Henderson.)

[J.A.W.]

A few months ago Steven Lasker told me that he had turned in remasters of Fletcher Henderson sides to Mosaic. (Or maybe he said Lunceford and I heard Henderson.)

They are indeed planning a Henderson set covering 1924-1941, probably 7 CDs.

[John L]

A few months ago Steven Lasker told me that he had turned in remasters of Fletcher Henderson sides to Mosaic. (Or maybe he said Lunceford and I heard Henderson.)

They are indeed planning a Henderson set covering 1924-1941, probably 7 CDs.

I wonder which recordings the Henderson set will include? The complete Fletcher Henderson recordings from that period would require well more than 7 discs.

[gmonahan]

A few months ago Steven Lasker told me that he had turned in remasters of Fletcher Henderson sides to Mosaic. (Or maybe he said Lunceford and I heard Henderson.)

They are indeed planning a Henderson set covering 1924-1941, probably 7 CDs.

I wonder which recordings the Henderson set will include? The complete Fletcher Henderson recordings from that period would require well more than 7 discs.

That is interesting. I do stand corrected on my prior statement. Columbia did pioneer some definitive box sets, including "Study in Frustration," the Henderson set. Sound on the cd is really awful though. Putting it together with the mid-30s Deccas (which I like better) would be cool, but it would take a lot of cds. I'll be interested to hear more about this whenever more is available to hear.

[Chuck Nessa]

The Henderson would most likely be a combination of the Columbia and Victor sides. They would total about 7 discs and now come from the same corporate source.

[colinmce]

Wow, between the Threadgill, Rivers, Ellington, Henderson and Lunceford sets, it sounds like a new golden age at Mosaic!

[GA Russell]

Notwithstanding the releases of Columbia (and also as I recall the Fats Waller library by RCA) in the 60s, I think of the current trend of releasing box sets to have begun in the early 80s, with Fantasy's Miles Davis Prestige box.

[AllenLowe]

I have lots of old boxed sets, but I don't know the time line - Columbia put out lots of old jazz boxed LP sets, there's a Woody Herman, a New Orleans, a New York, maybe a Chicago set - there was lots of this stuff - also a box of 1920s stuff. Lots of European issue boxed sets from RCA, a blues set, saxophones, a general history; also MCA issued a few Decca blues boxes. So this other claim is sheer fiction.

also there's a French Louis Armstrong LP box - just thought of it -

Edited October 24, 2010 by AllenLowe

[medjuck]

So are the Decca Hendersons on cd?

[Chuck Nessa]

I have them in the Classics series and there was a GRP/Decca single.

[AllenLowe]

yes, and IIRC that's a Lasker transfer in excellent sound quality -

[Chuck Nessa]

I'm not sure Lasker was pleased, and I don't always agree with his choices.

[J.A.W.]

Fletcher Henderson's Decca sides (or at least many of them, I didn't check) were reissued in relatively excellent sound on 2 CDs on the Scottish Hep label: Yeah Man! (1931-1933) and Wild Party! (1934). The transfers and mastering were done by the late John R.T. Davies.

[Chuck Nessa]

I think it would take about 4 or 5 discs to cover the stuff from their holdings, but that would start before the 1924 start.

[jazztrain]

Columbia put out a lot more box sets. Here are some of them. There proably are more.

Eddie Lang/Joe Venuti

Billie Holiday (2 boxes)

Gene Krupa

Benny Goodman

Original Sound of the 20s

Fletcher Henderson

Woody Herman

Swing Street

Thesaurus of Classic Jazz

Jazz Odyssey (Sound of New Orleans, Harlem, Chicago in separate boxes)

Jack Teagarden

Echoes of the 30s

Sweet Bands of the 30s

Duke Ellington (2 boxes)

Rare Big Band Sides

Boswell Sisters

There also were some French CBS boxes that may or may not have had U.S. counterparts, such as a Fred Astaire/movie soundtrack box, Jimmy Lunceford, and later Duke Ellington. Oh, and there were two large Count Basie boxes.

I have lots of old boxed sets, but I don't know the time line - Columbia put out lots of old jazz boxed LP sets, there's a Woody Herman, a New Orleans, a New York, maybe a Chicago set - there was lots of this stuff - also a box of 1920s stuff. Lots of European issue boxed sets from RCA, a blues set, saxophones, a general history; also MCA issued a few Decca blues boxes. So this other claim is sheer fiction.

also there's a French Louis Armstrong LP box - just thought of it -

[ghost of miles]

RCA did a Glenn Miller Army Air Force band box in 1955.

[medjuck]

RCA did a Glenn Miller Army Air Force band box in 1955.

I remember there being a Miler RCA '45 box set.

[J.A.W.]

So are the Decca Hendersons on cd?

See post #40.

[romualdo]

There's also the excellent 1992 3CD set (Complete Armstrong with FH 1924-25) by Canadian Forte Records

Again, the transfers were done by John RT Davies

This covers a multitude of labels (including Columbia but no Victor - that was later in the decade)

looking through FH's discography, Chuck's idea makes sense ie Columbia & Victor material

Edited October 25, 2010 by romualdo

[gmonahan]

The Henderson would most likely be a combination of the Columbia and Victor sides. They would total about 7 discs and now come from the same corporate source.

When did Henderson record for Victor? I knew about the Deccas and the Columbia family of labels. I didn't realize he'd recorded for Victor.

gregmo

[brownie]

Enough Henderson on Victor for French RCA to release a double CD a few years ago...

[Chuck Nessa]

1927 - 3 titles

1931 - 8 titles

1932 - 6 titles

1934 - 4 titles

1936 - 15 titles

And I know of 11 alternates.

There was a US Bluebird vinyl issue similar to the set Brownie mentioned.

Edited October 27, 2010 by Chuck Nessa

[J.A.W.]

Scott Wenzel just told me they've put the Henderson set "on the backburner", as he put it. It would have had recordings from the Victor and Columbia families of labels.

They are going ahead with the Lunceford set, which will have his Decca sides; Scott didn't mention recordings for other labels. They hope to release it in 2011.